The present invention relates generally to side view mirrors for motor vehicles and more specifically to a side view mirror that greatly reduces the blind spot inherent in all side view mirrors.
Mirrors are optical devices, commonly made of glass, with a smooth, polished surface that forms images by the reflection of rays of light. A mirror is usually made of glass with a highly reflective metal deposit on the back. Plane, or flat, mirrors form a virtual image the same size as the object, but with left and right reversed. Parabolic mirrors have the shape of a parabola rotated about the parabola's axis of symmetry. Concave mirrors have a surface that resembles the interior of a hollow ball or sphere, and have traditionally been used in astronomical telescopes and automobile headlights to collect and focus light. Convex mirrors have a surface that resembles the exterior of a ball or sphere, and do not focus light as well as concave mirrors. Convex mirrors are however able to collect light from more sources than concave mirrors and plane mirrors. This characteristic of convex mirrors is exploited for a beneficial purpose in the present invention.
Crude forms of glass mirrors were first made in Venice in 1300. The original method of making glass mirrors consisted of backing a sheet of glass with an amalgam of mercury and tin. The surface was overlaid with sheets of tinfoil that were rubbed down smooth and covered with mercury. A woolen cloth was held firmly over the surface by means of iron weights for about a day. The glass was then inclined and the excess mercury drained away, leaving a lustrous inner surface. In the manufacture of mirrors today, in cases where this principle is utilized, the plate glass is cut to size, and all blemishes are removed by polishing with rouge. The glass is scrubbed and flushed with a reducing solution such as stannous chloride before silver is applied, and the glass is then placed on a hollow, cast-iron tabletop, covered with felt, and kept warm by steam. A solution of silver nitrate is poured on the glass and left undisturbed for about 1 hour. The silver nitrate is reduced to a metallic silver and a lustrous deposit of silver gradually forms. The deposit is dried, coated with shellac, and painted. In other methods of mirror production, the silver solution is added with a reducing agent, such as formaldehyde of glucose. Silvering chemicals are often applied in spray form. Special mirrors are sometimes coated with the metal in the form of vapor obtained by vaporizing silver electrically in a vacuum. Large mirrors are often coated with aluminum in the same way.
In addition to their important household and scientific uses, mirrors are also an important part of every truck and automobile on the road today. In most vehicles, there are usually three mirrors that the driver uses to navigate properly. The rear view mirror is usually located in the center of the front windshield, in the interior of the vehicle. The other two mirrors are the side view mirrors, which are located on the left and right sides of the outsides of the vehicle. These outside mirrors assist the driver in seeing other vehicles, persons, or objects-behind him and to the right and left of the vehicle that the motorist would not otherwise be able to see.
In regards to the driver's side of the vehicle, the blind spot is the area of the lane next to the driver that is not reflected by his side view mirror. Traditional plane mirrors fail to capture the entirety of the lane-next to the driver and any possible vehicles that may be there. The unpleasant result of the blind spot is that vehicles cannot properly see one another when maneuvering in heavy traffic, often times leading to accidents. This is especially relevant to large trucks where the blind spot is larger than in smaller vehicles.
The present invention solves this dangerous problem by providing a side view mirror that eliminates the blind spot thereby greatly increasing driver safety.